You can reach the plugin settings by choosing the WooCommerce → Settings → Shipping → DHL Express from the sidebar.
Credentials
If you do not have a DHL Express account yet, check how to create it step by step →.
Since version 3.0.0 our plugin supports the REST API, which is the only API connection recommended by DHL Express. Their previous XML API will be sunset. How to get REST API Key and API Secret →
For now, our plugin offers a dropdown API Type selection.
XML API
Please provide your Site ID and Password to establish connection via XML API.
REST API
Please paste your:
- Account Number
- API Key
- API Secret
The DHL Express Account Number is provided by your DHL Account Number when you register DHL Express account. While your API Key and API Secret are generated here.
API Status
Once your login credentials were entered and Save changes button hit, the API Status should change to OK and turn green.
If for some reason the plugin is not able to establish the connection with the DHL Express API, you will see the error message coming from the API with the detailed information on the cause of the problem, e.g.:
In case you have encountered any problems with authentication and want to learn more about the specific API errors please visit the dedicated DHL Express – Common problems and troubleshooting documentation.
Test Credentials
If you obtained the test credentials and want to use them instead of the live ones, tick this checkbox:
And enter the test API details in the proper fields in the Credentials settings section described above.
Method Settings
Shipping Method Type
Select if you want to use the Standard shipping methods and add the ‘DHL Express Live Rates’ shipping method within specific shipping zones or choose the Global shipping method to enable the DHL Express Live Rates for all the shipping zones in your store at once.
Please mind that if the aforementioned Shipping Method Type: Standard shipping methods was selected the Method Title, Fallback and Custom Services options as well as the settings available in the Rates Adjustments, Duties & Taxes and Dates & Time sections will be moved to the DHL Express Live Rates shipping method configuration screen in the shipping zone it was added within.
Learn how to add DHL Express Live Rates shipping method within specific shipping zone step by step →
Method Title
Define the shipping method title which should be used in the cart/checkout when the fallback option was triggered.
Fallback
Enable to offer a flat rate cost for shipping so that the user can still checkout, if the API, for some reason, returns no matching rates. The DHL Express services may be unavailable for several reasons, e.g., missing or incorrect order data (weight, sender’s or/and recipient’s addresses) but also the DHL Express connection issues. Once the checkbox is ticked the following additional Fallback Cost field will appear below:
Custom Services
Tick this checkbox to manage which DHL Express services should be available for your customers to choose from. You may also change their names here and set the order of how they are displayed in the cart and checkout.
If the checkbox is not selected all the services will be available by default.
Available DHL Express services
- DHL ECONOMY SELECT
- DHL EXPRESS 9:00
- DHL EXPRESS 10:30
- DHL EXPRESS 12:00
- DHL EXPRESS WORLDWIDE
- DHL EXPRESS WORLDWIDE (DOCUMENTS)
- DHL EXPRESS DOMESTIC
It is highly advised to verify if the DHL EXPRESS DOMESTIC service is available for domestic shipping in your country, before running the plugin live in your shop.
PRO Custom Origin
Check this option if you want to change the sender’s address used to calculate the live rates where the products are shipped from. It’s especially useful, e.g., when you ship the products directly from the warehouse located in a different place than your shop’s address. The plugin gets the origin from the WooCommerce settings by default (WooCommerce → Settings → General → Store Address).
Once the Custom Origin option is checked the following fields will appear and you will be able to define the custom sender’s address:
Rates Adjustments
Discounted Rates
Enable this option if you want to use the Discounted Rates assigned to your account. If not selected the standard rates will be used by default. Ticking this checkbox will result in displaying the Payment Account Number field required to fill in with your individual PAN identifier:
Insurance
Tick it if you want the insurance to be included in the DHL Express rates. The insurance will be included only for services which it is available for.
PRO Handling Fees
Use this option if you want to charge your customers with the handling fees automatically added to the DHL Express live rates:
You can choose if the handling fee should have the Percentage or the Fixed value. Once one of these options is selected the additional Fees Amount field will appear below.
Please mind that you can also use the Handling Fees option to offer your customers the discounted DHL Express live rates by entering the negative value, e.g. -10 in the Fees Amount field.
Parcel Packing Method
Define the way how the products should be packed:
- Pack into one box by weight – a default live rates calculation method. Weight of all the ordered products is summed up and they are considered as shipped together in the one package.
- Pack items separately – each product is considered as if it was shipped in a separate box. If selected the plugin uses the products’ weight and dimensions to calculate their volume and return the shipping rates.
PROPack into custom boxes – this option gives you a choice which packages to use. You can choose from the standard DHL Express packagings or precisely define your own custom boxes:
It allows not only to set the box dimensions (Length x Width x Height) and maximum weight but also the packaging’s (e.g. cardbox’) weight and padding which will be substracted from the package max weight and dimensions. The ordered products will be automatically matched to the defined boxes to offer their most optimal setup. If any product exceeds the defined maximum package size the plugin will return the fallback if set.
Some DHL Express services might have a maximum weight limit for the shipped packages. You can find more information including the complete table of DHL Express Weight & Dimensions restrictions here.
Duties & Taxes
Dutiable shipment
Define when the shipment you send should be considered as dutiable by choosing one of the following options:
- Never
- Always (except domestic shipping)
- Only for selected countries
- Always, except selected countries and domestic shipping
Once the Only for selected countries or Always, except selected countries and domestic shipping option has been chosen the Selected countries field will appear below:
Use it to point the countries which the option selected in the Dutiable shipment field will be applied to.
Please mind that some DHL Express services’ availability may vary depending on whether the country the shipment is addressed to was defined as dutiable or not, e.g. when shipping from Poland to UK, provided that UK has been defined as the country of dutiable shipment, the DHL EXPRESS 12:00, DHL EXPRESS WORLDWIDE and DHL ECONOMY SELECT services are available, however if it hasn’t – the DHL EXPRESS 12:00 and DHL EXPRESS WORLDWIDE (DOCUMENTS) become available instead.
Dates & Time PRO
Estimated delivery
A feature allowing to display to your customers the estimated delivery time for the ordered products. You can choose from three options here:
- None – the estimated delivery time won’t be displayed at all.
- Show estimated days to delivery date – display the amount of days of how long it should take to deliver the ordered products.
- Show estimated delivery date – display the exact date the ordered products will be delivered.
Once the 2nd or the 3rd option is selected the following additional fields will appear below:
Maximum Time in Transit
Define the maximum amount of days the products can remain in transit. Especially useful for the perishable goods.
Lead Time
Define the amount of days required to prepare an order to be shipped. The estimated delivery date or time will be updated according to the value entered here.
Cutoff Time – select the hour after which the date of preparing the shipment will be set for the next day. It can be used only when the Lead Time‘s value was set to 0.
Blackout Lead Days
Choose the days of the week when the orders are not being processed in your shop. The days you select here will be excluded from the lead time, e.g. if your lead time is defined as 2 days and the chosen Blackout Days are Saturday and Sunday, the order placed on Friday will be first processed the following Tuesday.
The estimated delivery time will be displayed as a DHL Express shipping method description in the cart/checkout below its title.
Advanced Options
Debug Mode
Enabling the Debug Mode will let you identify and analyze the problems with DHL Express services price calculation. All the requests, responses and the error messages coming back from the DHL Express API will be displayed in the cart and on the order summary page:
All the notices and data coming from enabled Debug Mode will be visible only for the Site Administrators and Shop Managers. Your customers, no matter if they are guests or logged in, won’t see any unnecessary info on the shop’s front.
Measurement Units
This option allows you to change the measurement units used to calculate the DHL Express live rates. The plugin uses the units selected in the WooCommerce settings by default. (WooCommerce → Settings → Products → Measurements). Once the measurement units are changed, they will be automatically converted by the plugin to the ones defined here.
Use this option if you get “This measurement system is not valid for the selected country” error.